About the author

Jimmy Burch has covered professional golf for the Star-Telegram since 1991. He’s received state and national honors for his writing but fills his own scorecard with more bogeys than birdies when he hits the local links.

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May 2013

May 20, 2013

Louis Oosthuizen, the No. 8 player in the world golf rankings and top-rated player on the commitment list for this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, withdrew today because of a neck injury sustained while competing at last week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship.

He has been replaced in the Colonial field by Stuart Appleby.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, withdrew from the Nelson before Sunday’s final round despite being in 32nd place after 54 holes. But Oosthuizen, who slipped from seventh to eighth in today’s updated rankings, did no officially withdraw from Colonial until today.

Ooshuizen’s departure means the Colonial field will not feature any of the world’s top 10 golfers in 2013. The highest-ranked Colonial competitor will be Matt Kuchar, No. 13 in today’s updated rankings.

Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion who will be making his Colonial debut, climbed two spots to No. 15 in the world rankings after finishing third at the Nelson. Rounding out Colonial’s list of top-30 players from the world rankings are Jason Dufner (No. 20), Hunter Mahan (No. 21), Bo Van Pelt (No. 26), Jim Furyk (No. 27), defending champ Zach Johnson (No. 29) and Rickie Fowler (No. 30).

In another field tweak, D.A. Points withrew and was replaced by D.J. Trahan. No reason was given for Points' withdrawal.

HP Byron Nelson Championship officials confirmed today that the dates for the 2014 tournament will be May 15-18, 2014 in Irving. The event will be played the week after The Players Championship, as it was this season.

Louis Oosthuizen, the No. 7 player in the world golf rankings and top-rated player in next week’s field at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, withdrew before the start of today’s final round at the HP Byron Nelson Championship because of a neck injury.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, has not withdrawn from next week’s event in Fort Worth. But his availability has to be considered tenuous, based on his medical condition. Oosthuizen was tied for 32nd on the Nelson leaderboard at the time of today’s withdrawal and, under PGA Tour rules, will share 71st place money at the Nelson with fellow competitors. But his Nelson earnings will be unofficial because he withdrew during the event.

If Oosthuizen is not able to play at Colonial, the tournament will lose its only competitor ranked among the top 10 in the world rankings. Matt Kuchar, the No. 12 player in the world rankings, is the highest-rated player in the Colonial field behind Oosthuizen.

Under PGA Tour rules, Oosthuizen could receive a medical waiver that would allow him to skip Wednesday’s pro-am round and still allow him to compete in Thursday’s opening round at Colonial. Oosthuizen has been playing regularly in recent weeks because his wife in expected to deliver a child in June, clouding his availability for the 2013 U.S. Open and other summer events.

Louis Oosthuizen, the No. 7 player in the world golf rankings and top-rated player in next week’s field at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, withdrew before the start of today’s final round at the HP Byron Nelson Championship because of a neck injury.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, has not withdrawn from next week’s event in Fort Worth. But his availability has to be considered tenuous, based on his medical condition. Oosthuizen was tied for 32nd on the Nelson leaderboard at the time of today’s withdrawal and, under PGA Tour rules, will share 71st place money at the Nelson with fellow competitors. But his Nelson earnings will be unofficial because he withdrew during the event.

If Oosthuizen is not able to play at Colonial, the tournament will lose its only competitor ranked among the top 10 in the world rankings. Matt Kuchar, the No. 12 player in the world rankings, is the highest-rated player in the Colonial field behind Oosthuizen.

Under PGA Tour rules, Oosthuizen could receive a medical waiver that would allow him to skip Wednesday’s pro-am round and still allow him to compete in Thursday’s opening round at Colonial. Oosthuizen has been playing regularly in recent weeks because his wife in expected to deliver a child in June, clouding his availability for the 2013 U.S. Open and other summer events.

May 17, 2013

Officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial added several golfers to the field today for next week's PGA Tour event in Fort Worth. Among the notable late additions were Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Ryo Ishikawa, Ricky Barnes, Colt Knost, Sean O'Hair and three golfers with Tarrant County connections: Martin Flores, Tag Ridings and Greg Chalmers.

Below is a look at the full, final list of Colonial commitments:

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial commitments

A list of golfers who have committed to compete in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, May 20-26 in Fort Worth. Commitments became official Friday:

Officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will welcome nine of the top 30 players in the world golf rankings to Fort Worth for next week’s PGA Tour stop.

Topping that list will be Louis Ooshuizen, winner of the 2010 British Open and the No. 7 player in the world rankings. Also in the Colonial mix, finalized Friday, will be five of the world’s top 30 golfers who are not competing in this week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving: Hunter Mahan (No. 21), Bo Van Pelt (No. 26), Jim Furyk (No. 27), defending champ Zach Johnson (No. 29) and Rickie Fowler (No. 30).

Among next week’s competitors in Fort Worth will be three of the top eight golfers on the PGA Tour season money list and two of the top five. Matt Kuchar, the No. 12 player in the world rankings and No. 5 player on the season money list ($2,493,387), is the only confirmed Colonial competitor who cracks the top 15 in both lists. The top season money winner headed to Colonial will be Kevin Streelman ($2,572,989).

Kuchar and Oosthuizen, the Colonial headliners, will be among the starters in Thursday’s opening round in Fort Worth. They will be joined by several fresh names who joined the field Friday, including two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, 2008 Masters champ Trevor Immelman, Ryo Ishikawa, Sean O’Hair, Ricky Barnes, Luke List, Colt Knost and Colleyville resident Greg Chalmers.

Also joining the mix was Martin Flores, a former Oklahoma and Mansfield High School golfer, and Westlake resident Tag Ridings. Dropping off the Colonial list were Lucas Glover, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel and Jimmy Walker.

May 16, 2013

Officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will distribute a record $60,000 to recipients at Monday’s Ben Hogan Award banquet. Tournament officials will present a $25,000 grant to the winner’s school and $12,500 grants to the universities of the other two finalists. The remaining $10,000 in donations will go to support college golf and to a charity selected by keynote speaker Corey Pavin, a two-time Colonial champ. The three finalists for the 2013 Ben Hogan Award are TCU’s Julien Brun, California’s Michael Kim and Washington’s Chris Williams.

May 15, 2013

Chad Campbell, a Colleyville resident and PGA Tour participant, will serve as honorary chairman for the Fort Worth Marketplace Chaplains Classic, June 3 at Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth.

The charity golf fund-raiser includes an 18-hole scramble tournament. The tournament begins at 11:30 a.m., preceded by an 11 a.m. putting contest. Live and silent auction items will be available, including memorabilia autographed by Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and others.

For more information, visit www.marketplaceministries.com or call 1-800-775-7657.

May 14, 2013

Officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will make a $30,000 donation to The First Tee of Fort Worth in the name of the late Pat Summerall, a former CBS broadcaster who worked multiple Colonial tournaments, during Saturday of their event in Fort Worth. Colonial tournament chairman Bobby Patton will make the presentation to honor Summerall, best known as a legendary NFL broadcaster, during the telecast of the third round.

Lance Barrow, a Fort Worth native and CBS’ coordinating producer for golf telecasts, applauded the move. He said Summerall, a longtime Southlake resident, “loved this golf tournament … and all the places around here. This will be a great thing that will continue his name.”